The first of the Inward Disciplines, that Richard Foster (in his book “Celebration of Discipline”) mentions, is meditation.(All quotes are taken from his book.) In the previous blog we saw that meditation may not and cannot be seen as something small and insignificant. We also saw that, the more we practice it, the “better” we get at it and the “easier” it gets. Today we look at the misconception that people have that meditation (contemplation) is impractical and outdated.

“Many people believe that at its very best meditation leads to an unhealthy otherworldliness that keeps us immune to the suffering of humanity.”

In history, the Quakers have stresses the need to enter into the listening silences perhaps the most. The result has been a vital social impact far in excess of their numbers. William Penn wrote that true godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in the world and helps them to mend the world.

Meditation will often yield insights that are deeply practical. It is most common that meditation gives guidance in dealing with ordinary human problems. Meditation sends us into our ordinary worlds with greater perspective and balance.

The first of the Inward Disciplines, that Richard Foster (in his book “Celebration of Discipline”) mentions, is meditation.(All quotes are taken from his book.) In the previous blog I gave a few differences between Eastern and Christian meditation. Today we will look at another reason why people fear meditation: they fear that it is to difficult.

“Some shy away from meditation out of fear that it is too difficult, to complicated. Perhaps it is best left to the professional who has more time to explore the inner regions.”

The so called “acknowledged experts“ in the area of meditation says that it is not just for a select few, or the spiritual giants. They feel that they are doing a normal part of human activity. They feel that it is natural and as important as breathing. We do not need any special gifts or psychic powers. We just need to discipline and train latent faculties within us. Anyone who have imagination, can meditate.

We should beware, though, that meditation is not some “small thing“ we do. It is serious business. We should put in our best thought and energies. No one should undertake meditation just for diversion or because others are doing it. Those who meditate half-heartedly, will certainly fail. For meditation to succeed, the one that meditate should be convinced of its importance.

We should also realize that when we get skilled in meditation, it will become part of our ingrained habitual patterns. When we start with practicing meditation, we will not get it right from the start. But if we keep on practicing it, it becomes natural to us.